Nothing More
by StarRage
Summary: The Elric Brothers are assigned an important mission, to teach Colonel Mustang's daughter alchemy. Ed thinks it will be a huge drag, but SUPRISE! It's not. She falls for Ed, and she reminds him of Winry. Will Ed mistake her for Winry?
1. We have to what?

**It was a perfect sunny day. So why were the ever so famous Elric Brothers in the office of Mustang? Well let's find out.**

**"Brother, what do you think he wants us here for?" asked Alphonse, the _younger_, but _taller _brother. Ed sat in one of the chairs in front of the desk. "Who knows, Al" he simply replied. They heard the door open and close. "Oh, hello boys. How are you today?" said a tall man with jet black hair. Ed only grunted. Mustang smiled a little and sat down at his desk. "I bet you two are wondering why you're in here today." He started. "Yeah, yeah, get on with it, pops." Ed interrupted. Mustang nodded. "This mission is the most important yet. I want you two to teach alchemy." "Please sir, if I may interrupt. But we're not teachers." Said Al. "Now you are. I want you two to teach my daughter. I will give you a place. A nice cabin by a lake to teacher her everything she needs to know. This will go on for the summer." He continued. "Great and I thought one was enough." Ed thought. "We're not babysitters." Ed said. Mustang was getting a little impatient. "She knows how to use alchemy, but she's just needs more help. And who better than to help her than the Full Metal Alchemist." Mustang finished. **

**There was a knock on the door. "Enter" Mustang said. The door opened. Ed and Al turned to see who it was. It was a young girl with jet black hair and red bangs. Her hair was in a neat bun and she wore a military uniform. She saluted. Mustang nodded his head and she placed her arms at her side. "Edward, Alphonse, I would like you to meet Ashton, my daughter. One day she will be a state alchemist, right?" The girl only looked at the ground. Ed studied her face. She looked ignorant, yet so young, maybe around 15. She was maybe one inch taller than he was, but he wasn't going to say that aloud. "Ashton, this is the Elric Brothers. Alphonse and Edward, the Full Metal Alchemist. You can learn a lot from these two. Ed, Al, you will meet her a week at the cabin in a week from today. Teach her well. But now if you excuse me I have to be some where." Mustang said as he stood up and headed towards the door. "But Dad..." the girl started. Her father looked at her. "I I mean sir…" she corrected herself. "I can't talk right now. Maybe later." He said as he slipped through the door. Ashton looked around the room, trying to ignore Ed and Al. There were pictures around the office. They were pictures of her as a little girl. "So… are these pictures of you?" Al asked, trying to break the silence. "Yes, well I'll see you at the cabin. Goodbye" she said and ran out of the door. **

**Al and Ed sat in the room for awhile. "What do you think is wrong with her brother?" Al asked. "I don't know, Al. How would you feel of your father had finally put pictures of you around his office and you couldn't even call him "Dad"?" Ed answered. Al said nothing. Ed got up and left the office, Al followed.**

**The train roared into the station of a small village. Ed and Al got off and started to walk down the path that lead them to a small lake. "What do you think it's going to be like teaching, brother?" Al asked. Ed only shrugged. He was tired of playing Mustang's games. Always traveling to other places for "missions". But he did get to find information about the Philosopher's Stone. **

**Soon an empty cabin came into view. As the brothers neared it, they noticed that it was dark inside. Al looked at Ed in question. They started to run. Ed opened to the door and looked around. Everything seemed to be okay. Al went to the table and picked up a piece of paper. "Hey Ed, look." He said. Ed took the paper and read it. It said.**

**"Dear Elrics, or what ever you want me to call you. I went into the village for groceries. I should be back soon.**

**Ashton"**

**"Well I see you two are here." Said a voice in the door way. Ed turned to see his pupil. Her hair was down and she wore a strapped black shirt and low baggy green pants and she had what seemed like black and red shoes. She carried the groceries to the counter and started to take them out. "Feel free to take a look around if you want. I'll get dinner started." She said. **

**Al looked at Ed and Ed looked at Ashton. "Well, first thing is first. We're gonna be together for the summer so let's get to know each other." He said. Ashton paused and then continued unloading the groceries. "Edward Elric, aka Full Metal Alchemist, became a state alchemist at the age of 12. Alphonse Elric, Brother of Full Metal, walking suit of armor… well other stuff that I don't want to mention." Ed stood there, eyes wide. Ashton turned to face him. "What? I read some of my dad's files." She simply said. "Well what about you?" Al asked. Ashton's eyes went dull. "Daughter of Colonel Mustang. What else is there to be known?" she said. "So do you really want to become a state alchemist?" Ed asked as he sat on a chair. "I want to become a better alchemist." She answered. Ed decided to leave that subject alone for a little while. Ashton placed a pan on the stove, added water, and put it to boil. **

**Ed waited for the steam to show. "So, uh, Ashton, what's on the menu?" he asked. Ashton smiled. "Call me Ash. And we're having Salmon, salad, crescents, and dessert. That's going to be a surprise." She winked as she finished her sentence. Ed's mouth watered as he replayed the menu in his head. Al looked at Ashton. "You like to cook, don't you?" he asked her. Ashton's smile grew wider. "Well, yeah, it's fun." She said. Ed sat there, wondering why Ashton seemed so against her father's wishes. "Call me when dinner's ready." He said as he walked out of the cabin.**

**Ed walked around. "How is this going to get us closer to the Philosopher's Stone?" Ed asked himself. Ed took a deep breathe. "Hey! Ed!" Ashton called. He turned around to see her smiling and waving. Then he heard his stomach growl. "Heh, just in time." He said. He returned to the cabin. Ed looked at the table. It was full of food. He sat down. "Well, what are you waiting for? Dig in!" Ashton said. Ed's eyes glowed as he started eating. He grabbed what ever he could reach. Ashton sat there surprised how a little guy could eat so much. "Brother" Al said. Ed stopped and looked at Al. "Have you forgotten your manners?" he asked. Ed turned to Ashton. A few seconds went by before she started laughing. "No, it's alright. At least I know someone likes my cooking." She said. **

**A knock was heard on the door. Ashton got up and answered it. There was a lady with two children, a boy and a girl. "Oh, hello." Ashton said. The woman answered. "Oh, excuse me, are you the new neighbors?" Ashton nodded. "For the time being." She said. The woman smiled and showed Ashton a jar. Ashton looked at it and took it. "It's syrup, for whenever you have a sweet tooth or mix in with your tea when ever you have a cold." She said. Ashton thanked her. She smiled at the children. "You'll come play with us, right?" the little girl asked. The woman looked at the girl. "Now, Wendy…" she started to say. "Wendy… That's your name?" Ashton asked. The girl nodded. "And that's Neo." She said, pointing to her brother. "Well, Wendy, Neo, I'm going to be busy, but I'll try to come when ever I can." Ashton said. The children giggled. They left and Ashton returned to the kitchen.**

**"She's nice. Maybe it won't be so bad teaching her." Ed thought. Ashton sat down and continued to eat quietly. "Who was that Ash?" Al asked. Ashton put down her fork as she finished. "It was a family next door greeting us. She brought us a jar of syrup." She said. As Ed and Ash finished eating, Ash cleared the table and washed the dishes. "So, Ash, did your dad teach you alchemy?" Al asked, trying to start a conversation. Ashton's expression changed. Ed decided to answer for her. "How can she learn from someone who is never around?" "I'm going to bed, good night." Ashton said and left. **


	2. The good, the bad, the caring

**The sun was shining through the window of the Elric Brothers. It seemed to be about 7:00 a.m. according to Ed's watch. He sat up and stretched. "Good morning, Brother." Al said from his corner. "Morning, Al" he answered as he got up and started to get dressed. "Do you think we should wake up Ash?" Al asked. Ed started to think. Every time he tried to wake up Winry too early she'd throw a wrench at him. That thought gave him a headache. He shook his head. "Let's go outside and get some exercise. We can wait for her to wake up." Ed and Al left the room and walked out of the cabin. **

**"I see you two are finally up." said a voice from behind. Ed and Al turned around to see Ashton. She had her hair up in a pony tail. She had a red strapped shirt, it revealed some of her stomach and she wore black shorts. She was panting. "It took you two forever to wake." She said. Ed never said anything. He just kept staring. Ashton seemed to have noticed. She crossed her arms. Her movement seemed to have broken what ever trance Ed was in. "S sorry" he apologized. He cursed his hormones. "How long have you been up?" Al asked, trying to cover up Ed's staring. "About 5:30, and I went for my morning run. Are we going to begin lessons today?" "Yeah, give me a few minutes to stretch." Ed answered.**

**It was finally time to begin. Ed and Ashton stood under the oak tree. They stood a few yards across from each other. "To train your mind to its full potential you have to train the body." Ed said. Al sat on the ground. "True words, Brother." He said to himself. "You mean fight?" Ashton questioned. Ed nodded. "It's not really fighting. It's more like training. Look, right now all you have to do is dodge. Okay?" Ashton nodded. "Ready, set, go!" Ed threw a punch at her. Ashton ran to the right. He threw another punch, she blocked it. The force of his punch caused her to slide back. She let go of his arm and ran behind him. He gave her a kick and she jumped up. Ed looked around to find her. He heard a whistle from above and found her on a tree branch. She swung from it and kicked him to the ground.**

**"Ah! I said to dodge!" he yelled. She crossed her arms. "Well, what good is that? Sometimes you have to fight back." She said. He stood up. He smirked, "Well said." He replied. She grinned at him. "When did you learn to fight?" he asked. "When I was a little girl. Now are you gonna keep talking or are we going to continue?" she said. "Ha, I like your style. Well show me what ya got." He said. She nodded. She threw a punch, but he dodged. She jumped and did a flip over his head, as she did she kicked his head to the ground. He lost his balance and fell. "Where did you learn that?" he asked. "Practice." She simply replied. Al stood up. "Brother, I think it's time for breakfast." He said. He didn't eat, of course he didn't need to with him being a walking and talking armor suit, but he looked after his older brother. "Yeah, breakfast sounds nice." Edward replied. Everyone heard his stomach growl. **

**Ashton made breakfast, waffles, eggs, sausage, and toast. As she set everything on the table, she asked Ed if he wanted some milk. "No thanks. I don't like milk very much." He replied. Ashton sat down. "Oh really? Well no wonder you're so short." She said. Ed choked on his food. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING SHORT! I'M NOT SHORT, I'M FULL GROWN!" He shouted. Ashton took a bite. "If you say so." She said. The rest of breakfast was quite.**

**"I have to go to the village again today." Ashton said as she cleared the table. Ed leaned back to his chair. "Why? Didn't you just go?" he asked. "Yes, but since you have a big appetite I have to restock." She answered. "We'll come with you." Al said. She shook her head. "No need." She replied. She sat down with a notepad and a pen to make a list. Ed leaned towards her and gave her a goofy smile. "But we want to, you don't expect us to stay here all summer, do you?" he stated. Ashton was about to bust out laughing. "No, hehe all right." She said. **

**They arrived at the village. It was bigger than Ed remembered. There were bakeries, boutiques, floral shops, and many buildings. Every one started to stare at the trio. Ashton felt their eyes following her. She slowed down and started to walk beside Ed. "Why are they staring?" she whispered. Ed looked at her, silently answered her. Even though he really didn't say anything she understood. Not everyone sees someone walking in a suit of armor. But Ashton didn't understand,it never bothered her that Al was the way he is. "They probably get this all the time." She thought. How could they just not feel them staring, unless they didn't care. Ashton respected them for this. They came to a halt. Ashton wiped the thought of everyone's eyes on her away. "Alright." She started to say, "I'll be in here. You two can take a look around if ya want." With that she stepped into the market and left Ed and Al outside.**

**For a few seconds they stood there. Al looked at Ed. "What should we do, Brother?" he asked. Ed shrugged. He turned around and walked toward a trinket cart. He looked around at the rings, necklaces, bracelets, and all sorts of jewelry. He found a bracelet with a charm that had a transmutation circle. It caught his eye for some reason. He took out his pocket watch. The circle had the same design as his watch. Ed picked it up and tried to pay the man for it, but he shook his head and said "I don't remember having this one, go ahead and take it." The man gave him a box to put it in. **

**Ed sat down on a bench, Al followed. It was silent until Al asked his brother, "So, what do you think of Ash?" Ed replied, "She's nice, she seems outgoing, and tough. Yet I wonder if she really does want to become a state alchemist." Al was about to say something but he was interrupted by several gun shots that came from the market. Ed and Al jumped up automatically and raced inside.**

**Meanwhile with Ashton. She looked around at all of the bodies in fear. And then she lloked at the killer, he had a woman in his arms with the gun pointed at her head. "Look," Ashton started to say, "Put the gun down, don't hurt her. You won't get hurt." She was trying to calm him down, without hurting him. And even if she tried, she knew the woman would get killed. "Shutup!" The man yelled. "Please let her go. I promise you, you won't get hurt." Ashton calmly replied. The woman wimpered. "Don't move." the man said. "Ash!" came Ed's voice as he ran in. Ashton swirved around to see him, then she heard the gun click. She turned back. "No! Don't!" she yelled, but she was too late. The gun sounded and the woman fell.**

**Right then Ed clapped his hands threw them to the ground. Suddenly bars came up from the ground, and knocked the gun from his hands. The man was trapped. "Ash!" Al yelled as he ran to her. She fell to her knees. Tears flowing from her eyes. **

**The walk home was silent. Ashton quit sobbing after awhile,but tears were still running from her eyes. She was walking between Ed and Al. By the time they got home it was night. Ashton silently made dinner and the boys waited.**

**After dinner, Ashton went to her room and changed. Then she went outside. She stayed there for what seemed like hours. Ed and Al decided to go to bed. But Ed couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned. He finally decided to check on Ashton.**

**He closed the door behind him and searched outside for her. He found her by the lake. Her legs curled to her chest and her head rested on her knees. Her long flowing hair shined in the moon light andit reached the ground. He sighed and sat next to her. It was silent for the first few seconds but Ed broke it. "Do you like to look at the stars too?" he asked. He found that she wasn't looking at the sky, but at the lake. The water was still and served as a mirror. For the reflection of the sky was in the lake.He sighed again. "You know, sometimes you have to look up, instead of down. It shows the real things." he said.Ashton shift her head. She was facing him. Looking through his eyes. He felt as if she was digging through his soul for answers that he couldn't give. "I don't get it, Ed." she started to say, "I should have just acted right then, and maybe she would still be with her children. The officer told me about her." She started to sob. Ed could see the stars in her eyes. He turned away, not wanting to see her. "You did what you could, sometimes it won't turn out great." He said. "You just want to see that there is good in everyone." he continued, "I wish I could tell that there is." Ashton then started to sob harder. She wouldn't stop.**

**Ed didn't want to her her cry. Maybe because the fact that he didn't, or couldn't. He didn't know. He put his flesh arm around her and tried to comfort her.All of a sudden Ashton stopped. It was a chilly night, but feeling Ed's warm hand on her back was comforting, very comforting. Ed was nice, tough, smart, strong, and understanding. She liked him. He was being a dear friend. She didn't have many in her life, except for her butler James and her bird, Horis and her dog, Chester. "What are you thinking?" Ed asked. He had been looking at her ever since her tears stopped. Knowing she was in deep thought. She turned to him and smiled. "Oh, I was just thinking about when I was little. I had a dog and a parrot. Chester and Horis. They were my only friends. Except my butler, James. One day I couldn't find my pets and James came and comforted me and said they must have ran away. Ever since then James had always been there for me. At night I would wake up and hear sounds but James always comforted me." she said. Ed turned toward the lake. "It must have been lonely." he said. She shook her head. Then silence came between them. **

**"You know, I really don't want to be a state alchemist. I, just want to help people without becoming a stupid dog of the military!" she said. "I don't like it much." Ed replied with a sigh. "Then why are you?" she asked quickly. "I have my reasons." he replied. Ashton nodded her head. "Yeah, alright. I understand. You don't have to tell me." "So do you know why you have problems using alchemy?" Ed asked. "I dunno. I can't even make a simple ring of flowers. I would get so close but only the ring will appear but no flowers." she said. Ed thought for awhile. "Maybe your not strong enough, maybe your power needs amplifying." he said, digging in his pocket. "What's that?"she asked as she eyed the box. "It's just a simple amplifire." he said in a chuckle. Her eyes lit up like the moon and stars when she saw the bracelet. She picked it up and looked atthe charm. She raised her eyebrow. "This is the transmutation circle on the state alchemist's pocket watch." she said. He nodded. "Try it out." he said. Ashton put it on and pulled some grass from the ground and piled it up. She put her hands on the ground. A ring of lilac flowers appeared. She giggled like a child. "Awsome, Thanks Ed! This is really cool." she exclaimed. "Well, tommorow we're gonna start helping you with it, so let's get some sleep." he said. They both stood, Ashton shook his hand. And they returned to the cabin. **


	3. Storms of Life

**Ed woke up to a whistling sound coming from the kitchen. He sighed and glanced out of the window. It was dark and cloudy outside. He sat up and stretched and let out a big yawn. He took out his watch; it was 4:56 in the morning. He lay back down and tried to get back to sleep, but it never came. So he decided to see what was happening in the kitchen.**

**Ashton was in the living room curled up in a rocking chair, enjoying a cup of tea. She heard some one grumble. She looked towards the doorway to find Ed. His hair was messy and it wasn't in its usual braids. She sat up right away. Ed took this as a time to sit down.**

"**I'm sorry did I wake you?" she asked. Ed shook his head and rubbed his one of his eyes. Ashton looked down toward her cup. "I heard a sound and I couldn't go back to sleep so I made some tea." She continued. Ed turned to the window. "Do you think it's going to rain?" he asked. She shook her head. "Not for another day or so." She answered.**

**It was silent for a few minutes. Ashton finished her tea. Ready to get a refill she stood up and offered Ed a cup. He said yes and they went into the kitchen. Ashton fixed their cups and joined Ed at the table. The sun started to rise. Ashton smiled.**

"**What was the smile for?" Ed asked. "No reason. My mother and I would watch the sun rise and sun sets together." She answered. "What happened to her?" he asked. She looked away. "She left, one day my father quit coming home. He use to come home every weekend. But a few weeks had past and he never showed up. We got a letter saying that he would be home soon. Well "soon" turned out to be a long time. My mom grew tired of it and she left. I never got to say 'goodbye'. But James was always there for me. So were Chester and Harris." Ed absorbed the information. He was now learning about her and why she seemed depressed. Sure she did very well of hiding it but deep down he knew something was wrong. **

**Ashton studied Ed a little. He seemed very determined and stubborn. He was also understanding and nice. She looked into his eyes. They were like doorways to his past that she knew he wouldn't talk about it anytime soon. She was growing fond of him. She smiled a little more at the thought that she was the friend of the Fullmetal Alchemist. There was more to him than that. Sure he was a famous alchemist, but he was still only human.**

**Suddenly they heard clanking sounds coming from the hall. Al walked through the doorway. "Good morning brother. Good morning Ash." He said. Ed waved his hand in response while Ashton only smiled. "Are you ready to start using alchemy today, Ash?" Al asked. Ashton looked at the bracelet. She gave a big sigh. "You bet." She answered, "Just let me get breakfast ready." She quickly got up and started cooking.**

**Ed watched her every move. Breaking the eggs, stirring, and flipping, she really put her spirit into cooking, just like he did in alchemy. They were alike. Both of their mother's were gone, disliked Mustang, loved eating, and they both put spirit into their work. In less than 10 minutes breakfast was ready. It was a quick one. Eggs and toast were on the menu and milk for Ashton and juice for Ed. Ed put down his fork and downed his juice. He waited patiently for Ashton to finish. She finished shortly after he did. Then they went outside.**

"**Ash, take off the bracelet." Ed said. Ashton was going to question him, but thought better. After all, he was the teacher. She hesitated, but took it off. Al had just finished drawing a transmutation circle. "Okay," Ed started to say, "We're gonna start with something simple. Pick up some sand and put it in the center of the circle." Ashton did so. Knowing that alchemy was equivalent exchange, she was curious to what she was going to create. "Okay, this seems to be enough," he started to say, as he examined the dirt, "Something simple, like a doll." "A doll?" she asked as she raised her eye brow. Ed nodded. "We made a doll our first try." Al said. Ashton stood there, dumbfounded. "Just concentrate on a doll." Ed said. **

**Ashton kneeled down, took a deep breathe, and put her hands in the circle. She concentrated on making a doll. Ed stepped forward to watch. The sand was swirling, looking rather eerie. He remembered when he and Al tried this, it scared Winry. He chuckled. He turned his attention back to the sand. She seemed to be doing fine, but it turned back into a pile of sand. Ashton opened on eye to look at it. She sighed. **

"**I don't know what's happening. It starts out fine, but then… O gosh!" She said, frustrated. Al turned to Ed. "What do you think, Ed?" he asked. Ed thought for a few seconds. "I don't know. Ash, put on your bracelet." He said. Ashton did so. "Okay now try again." He coached. She replaced her hands on the transmutation circle. "Concentrate." She thought. She thought of the form of a doll. A few seconds later she opened her eyes to see what was happening, she saw doll, in a blue dress with brown hair. She smiled. "Wow, it really is an amplifier." She said gleefully. **

**Ed crossed his arms. "Brother?" Al asked, as they entered their room. "I don't get it. She can use alchemy, but right when it gets to the point of forming it breaks apart." Ed said. He sat on the bed and sighed. The trees swayed and he could hear the wind howling a little. It was going to rain later on in the day. He knew it.**

**A knock came on the door and Ashton entered. She held the doll in her hand. "Hey, um, lunch is ready." She said. Ed nodded. "We'll be there in a minute." Al answered. She nodded slightly and left. "Brother, do you think what happened yesterday could've gotten to her, so she couldn't concentrate on using alchemy?" Alphonse asked. Ed lowered his head. "I don't think so. Remember, she's always had this problem. Remember the night that Nina was killed? Remember how I didn't have any control? It seems that something more is bothering her." Ed paused after that. Alphonse looked towards the door. Ed noticed, and got up and exited the room. The younger brother followed.**

**Ashton was sipping a cup of tea, she seemed bothered. She heard Edward and Alphonse enter. She stopped sipping and slightly smiled. "Why don't you go ahead and fix your plate." She said to Ed. Alphonse sat down. Ed hurried and fixed his plate and sat down and began to eat.**

"**I'm still going to try and use alchemy without the bracelet." Ashton said after a few silent minutes. Ed stopped chewing. Ashton could hear him swallow. "I think that would be wise. You never know what's going to happen as an alchemist." He answered. Ashton's eyes lowered. "Yes." She simply said. Then it just hit Ed, she wasn't eating. Why? He wondered. He was about say something but Alphonse was a step ahead. "Ash, why aren't you eating?" She shrugged. "Guess that there are too many thoughts running through my head. And besides, I'm not hungry." She answered. Ed was going to say something, but once again he was interrupted, by a knock on the door. Ashton went to answer.**

**It was the children next door. Wendy, the girl, was holding a letter. The wind began to howl louder. "Oh, Wendy, Neo, what are you doing out here? Especially in this weather?" Ashton asked in concern. "Well we were looking for our cat and a man came by with this letter for you, so we said we would give it to you." She said cheerily. Ashton took the letter gently, and observed it. She finally took her eyes off of it and looked at the children. She kneeled down and raised her finger. "Well, I thank you two for giving me this letter, but in this weather you must go home. You cat has instincts so it'll find some place to be safe and will come home again. But you two head home right now, alright?" The children nodded and ran towards their house.**

**Ashton closed the door and turned around to find Ed standing right in front of her. He smiled. "You sound like a mother, you know that?" he asked childishly. "Yeah, well, it's the least I could do." She said. Ed's eyes turned toward the letter. Ashton began to read it. She suddenly gasped and dropped the letter. "What's wrong?" Ed asked quickly. Her eyes began to tear up. "H he's gone! James disappeared." She stammered. Ed picked up the letter. "He just disappeared with out a trace. That's impossible. He was just there. I saw him. He was there when I left." She continued. Ed finished reading the letter. "He disappeared the day I left." Ashton finished. "Ash." Ed began, but she ran to her room. Alphonse entered the hallway.**

"**Brother," Al began to say, "How do you think…" "I don't know. Her mother, her dog, her bird, and now her butler. It's strange." Ed interrupted. Al sighed. "It's a wonder how she even acts cheerful. Everything she held dear is slowly being taken away. Almost like us." Al said. Ed quickly replied. "Not everything has been taken away from us, we still have Aunt Pinako, and…and…" "…and Winry?" Al interrupted. Ed turned away and whispered, "Yeah, and Winry." The brothers grew silent after that. Al heard Ed sigh. "Do you think she'll be alright, Brother?" Alphonse asked. "Who, Winry? Yeah she's pretty tough." Edward answered quickly. Alphonse shook his head. "No, I meant Ashton." he answered. Ed blushed at the thought that Al must have figured out his attraction to Winry. He quickly went to check on Ashton.**

**Edward knocked on her door. He heard her faint voice tell him to go away. He entered anyways. She seemed to not notice his presence. He looked around. It seemed to be an ordinary room. She had pictures on her dresser. One seemed to have caught his attention. It was a family picture; Ashton seemed to be at least five. Her bangs weren't red but black, her hair was in pigtails and her mom and her dad, Colonel Mustang, were holding her hands. A blue parrot was on her shoulder, and a golden retriever was at her side. He noticed a tall man, with slick black her. He must be James. **

**Ashton stopped sobbing when she felt Edward's presence. She looked at him, he didn't notice though. She found him staring at her picture. "That's us before my dad left. Everything seemed to have fallen apart after he was gone." She said. The wind howled louder. Then a scream was heard. Ashton quickly looked out of her window. She saw Wendy holding on to the tree by the lake. She noticed that Neo was on a branch.**

"**Oh my God! Neo! Wendy!" she screamed as she jumped off of the bed and ran out the door. Ed quickly followed. Ashton ran out of the door to the tree. It was incredibly windy. She had trouble keeping balance. "Wendy!" she yelled. Wendy looked at Ashton, she was crying. Ashton ran quickly to her and grabbed her. "Alphonse!" Ed yelled for his brother. Alphonse seemed to know what he wanted. Al ran to the girls and opened his armor. Wendy seemed to shout in fear to find that he was just a suit of armor. Ashton almost lost her balance when she discovered that he had no body.**

**Ashton's surprise was interrupted by the young boy's scream. Ashton looked up, Neo was dangling off of the branch. Before she could even think about it, she climbed into the tree. She crawled onto the branch. "Neo! Take my hand!" she yelled. The terrified boy took her hand and she raised him onto the branch. "My cat!" he screamed. Ashton looked back. The cat was running into the cabin. "It'll be fine!" she told him. Suddenly the branch broke and they were blown into the lake.**

**Edward noticed and ran to the lake and transformed it into ice. Ashton and Neo fell onto it. But then the branch fell and broke the ice. Neo screamed. The crack was nearing them, Ashton picked him up and ran, but she slipped and fell. Ed tried to follow her along the bank of the lake. The ice broke into big pieces, leaving the two people stranded on one. Ashton got up and jumped from one piece to another. She finally reached the edge. She let Neo get onto solid ground. Al ran to him and put him inside his armor. Ashton slipped off of the ice into the freezing lake. She struggled to stay up, but all of the rush had worn her out. She still struggled, the wind made the waves in the water. Ed ran frantically, trying to get to her. He jumped on the ice burgs and finally got close enough to her. He got her out of the water just before she gave up. **


	4. The Reason

**Ed carried Ashton into the cabin. He laid her down near the fire place and placed some wood in it. He lit a fire, hoping to warm the unconscious girl. Then he went into the room he shared with Al, grabbed his blanket and covered her. He tried to remember what he could do when someone was cold. He suddenly remembered the syrup that Neo and Wendy's mother had brought. **

**About a half hour later Ashton started to awake. She sat up, shivering. Ed had brought her a cup tea. She gratefully accepted it, and he sat by her. "How are you feeling?" Ed asked. She took a sip. "I don't… I can't feel anything." She said. Ed looked straight ahead. "You're still cold." He said. Ashton smiled slightly and sipped her tea. "I will soon, thanks Ed." She said as she continued drinking her tea. _She reminds me so much of Winry. _Ed thought. He suddenly pictured his childhood friend. Her long silky blond hair, her crystal blue eyes, her enchanting smile, those were the physical features he loved about her. She was also a kind and gentle person. She understood most of his problems, but when she didn't she would at least try to. She had a temper and the habit to throw a wrench at him, but all in all, she was fantastic. Even though Ashton didn't have blonde hair, blue eyes, and a wrench to throw at him, she was like a reflection of Winry.**

**Ashton stared at Ed, knowing that he was in deep thought. This was the first time she noticed his physical appearance. His golden hair, ember eyes, she could melt. She shook her head to erase the thoughts. She turned away to look at the fire. She felt warm, despite the numbness of the ice cold watered. If Ed noticed her red face, she'd just blame the fire. She turned back to him. He was looking away from here, towards the window. She noticed how long his hair was. He did do a decent job braiding it. She giggled to herself at the thought of a guy who braided his hair. She put her cup down and tried to shift positions. She gasped in pain and Ed quickly turned his head towards her.**

**"Are you alright?" he asked. She nodded. She looked at her leg and found a big wound. "I didn't notice it was there before. I must be getting my feeling back. Go get some bandages, Ed." She said. Ed quickly got up and went to the kitchen. He opened a cabinet where the medicine was, and grabbed some bandages. He walked back to the living room. "Thanks." Ashton said as he gave them to her. She began to tend to her wounds.**

**Ed watched as she began to wrap her leg. He saw that her blood began to bleed through. Ashton winced a little at the pain of the bandage tightening. She began to tie it. Ed sat down next to her again. **

**"Well, I guess this will happen often when I become a state alchemist." Ashton said dryly. "DO you even want to become a state alchemist?" Ed blurted out. Ashton turned away quickly. "Yeah, of course I do. Why would I be doing this if I didn't?" she said, trying to seem serious. Ed's eyebrows rose. "Unless you're doing it for the same reason I did it, you don't seem like you really want to." He said. Ashton continued to look away. "Well, that depends, what was your reason?" she asked. Ed looked to the ground. He hadn't told anyone why he joined in a long time. He wasn't sure if he could tell her. She reminded him of Winry so much. He looked at her. She was facing him. He knew she wasn't looking at him; it was the background behind him. She was watching the rain. "I made a promise. I intend to keep it." He answered finally. He looked back to the ground. He felt something touch his flesh hand. He found her hand in his. His eyes followed her arm until they reached her face. She was smiling such a warm smile, her eyes were tearing up. "That reason is better than helping the state, and so it's better than mine. It's stronger." She said. Ed's eyes followed a tear running down her face. Automatically he lifted his other arm, the auto-mail, and rubbed it.**

**Ashton felt something different. She was holding his left hand. It was warmer and softer. His right, the one that he rubbed the tear away with, was cold and firm. She quickly pulled her hand out of Ed's. That's when Ed knew what she had found out. She grabbed Ed's right hand. Her hand glided over to the end of is glove. When she removed it, her eyes widened when she saw the metal glistening from the fire.**

**At was silent for what seemed like hours. "So…it's you and Al? You made a promise to Al? Maybe to get his body back?" Ashton asked, breaking the awkward silence. Ed didn't answer. He just glared at her in a "how did you know?" way. "When the kids were in the tree, Al opened up his suit of armor. I admit, scary thoughts ran into my head for a second when I saw no body. But I saw something, a transmutation circle. What you two did, I found out tonight. Why you did it, I may never know. I understand that now." She said. Ed continued to look at the floor. "But when you get your bodies back…" Ashton continued, "Tell me, that way I can see that my teachers proved to do what they set their minds to. No matter if the odds are against them." She said. Ed smiled to himself. Ashton leaned her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes.**

**oooooooooooo**

**ok...this is like my first fma fanfic, so please send reviews and requests. PLEASE REVIEW! and I'll give you an invisible tasteless cookie. you rock!**


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